What is the Purpose of a Cover Letter?

Additional Purposes of a Cover Letter

If what I just wrote about the main purpose of a cover letter didn’t convince you to draft one, here are four more reasons:

It gives recruiters a more complete picture of your career than a resume can by itself

A cover letter shows the hiring manager there’s a real person behind the accomplishments listed on the resume. Photo by Hunters Race on Unsplash

Resumes should be concise and straightforward about your top accomplishments throughout your career. That means you have less space to tell the entire background of say, how you worked cross-functionally as a Property Manager (if that’s one of the biggest skills called for in the job description.) 

Your cover letter gives you (a little) more room to more fully explain the context for your biggest, most relevant achievements.

Let me elaborate on that same example. As a Property Manager, you were able to successfully complete a project that required cross-functional teamwork by communicating with realtors, contractors, architects, and city officials to remodel a two-story home. During the process, you even leveraged your own ability to take initiative and learned how to install hardwood flooring! You sold that property for five times the amount of its purchasing price. 

That anecdote certainly gives you some edge over the competition in my opinion, and it contains more than you could fit in a concise bullet point about the accomplishment on your resume (though you should still write one of those.)

That’s fun to read about right? The hiring manager will think so, too. Think of a few of your proudest moments in the last 10 years of your career that relate to the job you’re applying for now, write them down with key details (such as results and metrics), and consider including a couple in your cover letter.

To show your personality and your communication style

While cover letters are frequently required in corporate roles, it’s a good idea to attach one to every job application – and infuse some of your personality into it! The full sentences of a cover letter can show more of who you are as a person than the short bullets on a resume.

For example, I’ve had several clients who are chess players. Their skillsets often revolve around adaptability and analysis, which were great qualities to mention in their cover letter because they aligned with the job listings. I used their hobby of chess as a way to tell a compelling story about what kind of people they are both in and outside of work.

You want to express who you are in both your resume and cover letter, but remember to match the tone of both the job role and industry you’re applying to. Tone will vary based on industry and the level of position.

• If you’re an executive, I’d recommend using language that conveys how mature, powerful, and driven you are. Use a professional tone as you detail your key achievements in an interesting way.
• If you’re a recent graduate or pivoting to a new industry in your early career, we have a few tips for how to make the most of your experiences. Capture your reader’s attention by focusing on extracurricular activities or leadership positions you’ve held and building strong narratives out of how they have prepared you for this entry-level position.

To address potential red flags

Your cover letter is a great place to get ahead of any potential red flags in your resume. Photo by Carson Masterson on Unsplash

Honesty is the best policy when it comes to creating job application documents (and to everything else in life). Many things might appear as a red flag to recruiters or hiring managers, such as gaps or industry transitions. If you have one of these in your resume, you can get ahead of the question by mentioning the potential red flags in your cover letter.

For example, unexplained career gaps on a resume are commonly considered a red flag that can raise questions for recruiters. But if you have a gap in your work experience because you took time away to pursue higher education or focus on parenthood, that’s great! It demonstrates to potential employers that you’re always looking to improve. You can explain this information in your cover letter to paint your own narrative about your work gap instead of letting the reader fill in the blank on their own.

Another potential red flag is a sudden, dramatic shift in your career path. If you possess expertise and experience in IT and are now applying for a position in education, you’ll want to discuss that decision in your cover letter, since you’ll need to make a case for why you’re a better hire than people with education experience. 

To make the most of your career change in your cover letter, you should focus on transferable skills that make you a stellar candidate, which are qualities you possess that can be applied across various industries. These include things like how great you are at mentoring others, how you think outside of the box, and how your attention to detail helps you complete projects. This information can help you appear in searches in a  recruiter’s Applicant Tracking System (ATS) as well.

To make it clear that you align with the company’s mission, vision, and values

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, people have started caring more about their company culture; it’s one of the biggest reasons why people are seeking new work. It can be challenging for people to stay connected in a world that grows increasingly digital. Companies want to hire individuals who are on top of their work as much as they are willing to play. 

Remember, cover letters play a big part in hiring managers determining if you’re the right person to join their culture.

We recommend researching a company before you apply to see if you even like their culture. How do you know what their mission or values are? Many organizations describe their pillars on their “About” page. You can flex this knowledge in your cover letter by defining how your values  at work and in life relate to what the company cares about.

I have collaborated with many clients who are customer-focused and drive forward teams with servant leadership. These attributes are valued at some companies, such as in the healthcare or nonprofit industries, which makes it easy for the clients to align with company culture.

Consider what you care about as an individual and find an organization that meshes with that. Be sure to write about how those ideals connect in the cover letter to make it obvious why you’re the right person for the job.

One Page, Endless Possibilities

This might seem like a lot to fit into a single page. Keep in mind that these are best practices for writing a cover letter, not the only way to do it! You don’t have to include everything if you, for instance, don’t have any red flags in your career or if certain information isn’t readily available to you (e.g., company values).

I’m often impressed with clients’ old cover letters or ones that other writers at the company produce. Each document truly feels as unique as the individual it’s about – and that’s the point. 

The main purpose of a cover letter is to show off your skillset, your enthusiasm for the role, and your personality. Remember that, and you’ll write a cover letter that can really help you get hired! And if you need more help, that’s what  professional resume writers like me are here for, and we’d be happy to help.